Icegale
Icegale is a Jarldom of the Nordic Empire. A cold, bitter land regularily ravaged by bone-chilling winds, Icegale is not an easy land to live in. Legends speak of horrors living in the hills; And even if these can be chalked up to superstitious peasants, none can doubt that the wolves and bears of the mountains are unusually agressive in those parts. Despite these hardships, men scrape by a living with fishing and, in older days, raiding. It's current Jarl is Magnus "Wolfheart" Stent. History Icegale was first colonized not by man, but by the Dwarves. Even these creatures did not thrive in the region, as it was no less hostile at the time. The mysterious Dwarves mostly kept to their mountain-holds. When Man first landed on the continent, it was in the far north. Despite this, it was not long before they spread like a flood over all the north, establishing towns and holds. They soon came into conflict with the Dwarves, however, and in the brutal war, the first northern Jarls emerged, warchiefs who led their brethren in battle. Through valor and strength, the Fae were pushed further and further south, with the Dwarves, who refused to abbandon their treasure troves, being exterminated. During the Demon Wars, a vast host of demons under the command of a creature known as Cecil ravaged the north. The war did not see many large historical battles; It was instead a drawn out conflict which lasted for centuries, as man and demons killed one another. Icegale saw it's fair share of bloodshed, but it's isolated nature meant that the fighting was much less than elsewhere in the north. At around 1700 B.C., a hero named Mygrell had, leading an army of an alliance of the most powerful Jarls of the time, managed to close the portal, and wipe out what remained of the demons. The most lasting effect of the conflict was the adoption of Iron by the nords, due to its power against creatures of Fae. By around 1200 B.C. (Before Coronation), a single Jarl had consolidated power in the region, from his seat of Icegale Keep. Although his lands were sparsely populated, the Jarl had the mightiest fleet of all his kin, and the drakkars of Icegale devastated the western coast so badly that the region would remain depopulated for a millenia. This Jarl, regarded fondly by the peasant-folk as one of their greatest leaders, was Ivgurd Handslayer, due to his habit of cutting off the hands of his prisonners. In 1195, the Jarl of Ebroth, one of the great powers at the time, decided to punish Icegale for it's raiding, and marched south and clashed with the badly outnumbered Ivgurd at the battle of Weist. As legend goes, before the battle, Ivgur stood before his men, and cut off one of his own fingers, vowing to sew in it's place one of those belonging to the Jarl of Ebroth. Contemporaries differ on how badly outnumbered he was, but it is generally agreed that for every one of his warriors, Ebroth had fielded five. Despite this, Jarl Ivgurd won a resounding victory, and, living up to his reputation, cut off the hands of all his many prisonners, and marched north with them in tow. Most died en route; And the sight of those that remained was enough to convince most of the northern holds to surrender. The new Jarl of Ebroth, however, refused to abbandon the war, and it took three more years for Ivgurd to stamp the later into the dust. Ebroth was following the war quite literally wiped out of existence, with the town being burned to the ground and the people being sold into slavery. Ivgurd Handslayer died in 1183, of an unkown malady, and his lands were divided amongst his offspring, and once again the land plunged into obscurity. It wasn't until 950 B.C. that the lands were once again united under the Jarldom of Icegale, somewhat permanently this time. The Jarls didn't have much time to enjoy this; In 876 B.C., Jarl Olof Yngling of Volgaland declared himself Kung, or King, and began a campaign of conquest across the northlands, submiting Jarl after Jarl to his dominance. The combined armies of Icegale and Jaltmalljur were defeated at the Battle of the White Field, with both Jarls dying in the process. The new Jarls quickly agreed to kneel, acompanied Olof along with the rest of the Northmen in his conquest of the south. Centuries passed as the Nordic kingdom expanded, prospered, declined, and finally collapsed; Icegale, being very isolated, was more or less spared the calamities of time. When Jarl Ugrif of Volgaland declared himself High King in 460 B.C.- as the land was littered with Kings claiming to be the rightful continuation of the Old Kingdom- the Jarl of Icegale drew wisdom from the lessons of the past and accepted the former's dominance. This new entity was known as the Nordic Empire, and it's High King controlled vast swathes of the continent. There was once more a time of peace, until, in 14 B.C., the prophet Kastus led a slave revolt in the city of Ayreth, taking control of the city. The rebellion spread like a plague, and soon all of the south had been snatched from the hands of the High King. He was forced to accept a humiliating peace, ceding all lands south of Jaltmalljur to the now Emperor Kastus. The High King went on to die of old age; Kastus did not. He endured, leading his people for centuries, much to the incredibility and frustration of the Nords. Icegale continued it's legacy of reaving during this time period, until Kastus finally declared war against High King Hrothgar to halt the raiding. The north suffered a humiliating defeat, and was forced to halt the attacks, in addition to paying a tribute. The first clause was intolerable for the over-mighty Jarl of Icegale, who's primary source of revenue and glory was from these raids, and he promptly resumed his ravaging. This blatant rebellion against Hrothgar enraged the King, and he marched his host to Icegale, smashing the latter's army and burning the Jarl alive along with his flagship. Looking for a trustworthy man to take up the mantle of the west, he gave the role to his uncle, Magnus "Wolfheart". Myths and legends Some of the northmen's most ancient and admired heroes dwelled in what is now the Jarldom of Icegale. According to myth, Icegale was, long ago, before the arrival of even the Dwarves, a paradise on earth, with a warm weather and lush forests. At the time there lived a people known as the Old Folk. The Old Folk lived in peace and harmony, living a life of bliss. Their happiness was due to the support of their loving god, Afrell. Afrell, however, had a brother, Alfrun, who was jelous of the former's success in pleasing his followers. Alfrun decided to take his anger out on the Old Folk, and caused great winds to shift and blow onto the land. Those caught in the chill wind soon died, as did crops and animals. The Old Folk withered and dissapeared from the annals of history. Pleased with himself, Alfrun decided to make the now desolate lands his own. The arrival of the Dwarves was an annoyance to him, as they defied him and continued to thrive in a region that was meant to be his and his alone. Angered, he appeared to the Nordic King of a far-off land, and promised him a perfect land for his warriors to live in. The King set sail and landed in the North, and warred with the Dwarves, wipping them out. Once again, Alfrun was victorious. Yet once again, his victory would be short lived, as man expanded into Icegale. They survived the cold not by planting crops, as the Old Folk had, but by fishing. Enraged by their defiance, Alfrun decided to wipe these pioneers out. Plucking out one of his hair strings, he threw it in the Bay of Icegale, and from it was born the Vandyret, the terrible sea snake which feasted upon man. Killing anyone who dared set sailt the Vandyret threatened to end the human presence in Icegale, and would have if it were not for a hero named Talldrir. Talldrir was at the time barely a man, a poor fisherman barely surviving. Starving, he decided to fish regardless of the danger and of the pleas of his kin as countless great heroes and warriors had died trying to slay the sea snake, and Talldrir was certainly no hero. Yet he was determined, and he set sail on his dinghy with net and spear. As he was warned, the Vandryet wasted no time in appearing, and, rearing itself upright in the air, swooped down and swallowed Tallrir whole. Unfortunately for the snake, it had also swallowed his spear, and Tallrir used it to cut open the beast, and bring it's corpse back to Icegale, where he was celebrated as their saviour. The Jarl at the time, recongizing his courage, declared Tallrir one of his personal Housecarls, a position which saw him gain great prestige and wealth. He went on to serve valiantly and, now forever known as "Snakebane", he slew many foes. The snake, they say, decomposed into hundreds of worms, which crawled into the bay and thus gave it its name, the Bay of Worms, which explains the presence of the wood-eating creatures that forces boats that intend to pass there to fortify their hull with hides. Cities *Icegale Keep: Nestled on a sheer cliff, Icegale is a city hewn from rock, although most of the buildings are build out of wood and stone. Sitting on the river Ifflyn, Icegale is an important commerical center. But it's greatest export is warriors. Sailing from the city, they ravage coasts across the world. The bay is infested with sea worms, which forces boats intending to cross it to cover their hulls with hides. This reduces somewhat the amount of trade, as traders do not wish the expense of the hides, but it protects the city from outside retribution for it's raiding, as more than one foolish admiral discovered. Since the outlawing of raiding, the city has come upon hard times. Category:Nordic Empire Category:Icegale Category:Holds